Classroom Management – Helping Teachers Grow

I was recently checking out the boards over at teachers.net (great source for troubleshooting school issues of all types) and ran across a thread that really grabbed my attention.  The teacher had had a pretty rough year.  The students didn’t respond well to her and she was thinking about quitting.

Many of the other teachers on the boards gave her solid classroom management advice along the lines of what you can find here- create a plan, teach and model it, implement and reinforce it consistently…  She was wondering how her students she was working with would respond to her new efforts at implementing a classroom management plan.

This reply by poster marjoryt really put things into perspective nicely.  Here’s what she wrote:

How bad was my first year of teaching? I was asked not to ask to
return – that’s how bad! (Basically – they didn’t want me again.)
The problem was ENTIRELY classroom management.

My next job was in an alternative school – I had studied everything
available on classroom management and went with Wongs’
recommendations (sorry, Tom, but you weren’t around in 1998). That,
coupled with a strong principal, put me on a good path – I actually
got BETTER every week. During that second year, a few students
would say, “X says he was in your room last year, and he did 1, 2,
3, 4 and got away with it.” My reply was always, “Different year,
different school, different attitude – do you NEED to be bad in my
classroom?” I didn’t deny it, but wasn’t about to slip into bad
habits. Amazingly enough, my then current students agreed that we
had a good relationship going – no need for attitude.

In my 3rd year (second year in the alternative school); in walked 3
students from my first year. They saw me and were immediately
prepared to resume business as normal (causing me grief). This is
what you are imagining now. Here’s what I did:

1) Welcome to my classroom again.
2) I’ve learned from you! I do things DIFFERENTLY now!
3) I know you’ve grown up some physically and intellectually – we
want the old, bad behaviors to be in the dim, distant past.
4) Allow me to show you how things run in this classroom – you can
settle in quickly and start enjoying success almost immediately.

And, that’s what I did – I told EACH student exactly how the
classroom worked – as if they were each a brand new student who
didn’t know me from Adam’s housecat.

When they behaved normally, then I poured on the praise, just like a
new student. If/when they misbehaved, then I treated them exactly
as a new student and corrected them exactly the same.

Get your ducks in a row as far as curriculum and activities, and get
your ducks in a row for managing the environment. Your principal
knows you had some issues last year; talk to him/her about your
plans to head problems off and listen to any ideas proposed.

Great advice.  The students really take their lead from us.  Whatever we reinforce, both consciously and unconsciously, the students follow.

I wrote her and asked if I could include her response.  She agreed and even expanded on the story a bit.  I’ll save that story for a little later.  It’s too good to pass up, hearing how a full-time chicken farming mother went back into the classroom, struggled, was nearly fired, and discovered how she could manage her students effectively.

You can do this!

Darren

I have the hardest time getting things graded.  I understand the value of prompt feedback, and I work that into my routine by letting students check their own paper (Gasp!) before turning it in.  They don’t grade those papers.  They simply check to see how they did.  So they get their immediate feedback.

But turning these papers into grades in the gradebook- ugh!  That takes me forever!  There are always a dozen other more pressing things that need to be done first.  Then, when I finally get to the papers, I always run across one or two that have no name on them.

Typically, I’m organized enough to know from which class the offending paper came, but even then, that paper might go several more weeks without being claimed.  That paper might just end up tossed aside with no student claiming it!

This ever happen to you?

Here’s a little trick that prevents this from happening every time.  Solid gold this tip is!  Gold, I tell ya!

When students are to turn in anything, have them give it directly to you.  Have them put it in your hands, no matter where you are in the room.  Then, when you get a paper, make sure it has a name.  If it doesn’t, tell that student before they even sit back down.

Gold.  Prevents 100% of the “no name” paper problem  100% every time!

Isn’t that what we’re looking for here?  Solutions to those common problems that keep us from being as efficient and effective in the classroom?

Gold.  Try it next time!

You’ll see.

Darren B.

My principal just today had my teammates and me interview the two final candidates for our Social Studies vacancy. Both the guys interviewing were fresh out of student teaching and both seemed qualified (but so young! I must be getting old…), but one seemed a bit more excited and motivated about the job. He had that spark of motivation and inspiration about him that spoke to me.

I guess when looking for a new hire into my school and onto my team, I wanted someone who wouldn’t be afraid to throw themselves completely into the job, someone who would love to come to work and connect with the students and be a part of our team.

I hope we found that person.

It will be exciting to help the new guy get his feet wet with his first classroom experience. You only get to be a new teacher once, and for me, that was a long time ago.

I just hope I can help his first days be empowering and productive.

I’ll keep you posted!

DarrenB